Review of MOANA (2026): Directly Duplicated

July 16, 2026

Legends of the village of Motonui tell of a mother island named Te Fiti that emerged out of the ocean. Her heart was a green stone that possessed the greatest power ever known -- the creation of life. One day,  a demigod of the wind and sea named Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who had a power to shapeshift granted by his magical fishhook, stole her heart. As a result, a volcanic demon arose to attack Maui, causing him to lose the heart and his fishhook to the sea. Since then, a blight began spreading through the islands.

A thousand years later, Tui (John Tui) was the chief of Motonui, whose daughter Moana (Catherine Laga'aia) was already being groomed to take his place someday. Tui wanted everyone in his village to remain within the safety of the reefs that surround their island, but soon the coconut trees were getting sick and the fish was getting scarce. Advised by her Granma Tala (Rena Owen), Moana went forth to search for Maui, make him return the heart that he stole in order to appease Te Fiti to restore their food supply.

"Moana" was first an original Disney animated film released in 2016 that featured a story inspired by Polynesian mythology, with songs were written by Lin Manuel Miranda. It was both a critical success and a box-office hit, and later a streaming juggernaut. A sequel was just released in 2024, and grossed more than a billion dollars despite mixed reviews. Question is, why did Disney think that it was a good idea to create a live-action version just 10 years later, if there was nothing really new it wanted to say, aside from changing its medium?

This live action version was basically a scene-by-scene recreation of the animated original version, with only subtle differences in the blocking of scenes or in the updating of passe pop references in the screenplay. I liked the way Te Fiti and Te Ka were rendered in this remake, their scenes really had solid impact. The giant crab Tamatoa was also very well-rendered performing his solo song "Shiny."  I did not like stupid pet rooster Heihei in the original film and more so this time, as his "more realistic" rendering was even more off-putting. 

Like Auli'i Carvlaho in the first film, the new Moana Catherine Laga'aia is also making a big splash in her feature film debut. She may have some neophyte nerves showing, but did very well in the physical demands of her role, and her singing was likewise very impressive. One major problem with this new version was actually seeing Dwayne Johnson awkwardly playing Maui. Of course, the physical heft required was there, but as obvious in trailers, Johnson looked rather haggard and long in the tooth here. 5/10 

Review of THE ODYSSEY: A Harsh, Harrowing Homecoming

July 15, 2026

It had been 20 years since Odysseus (Matt Damon) left his kingdom of Ithaca --10 years fighting the Trojan War, and 10 more grueling years trying to sail back home.  Meanwhile, a group of rowdy suitors lead by Antinous (Robert Pattinson) have taken up space at his castle waiting to marry Odysseus' wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), much to the annoyance of his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and their blind servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo).

There were two great epic poems of ancient Greece whose authorship was ascribed to Homer. His first epic was "Iliad," set towards the end of the Trojan War, dealing on the conflicts involving Achilles, Agamemnon, Paris and Hector. His second epic was "Odyssey," recounting the adventures of Odysseus and his encounters with various deadly supernatural beings on various islands as he sailed back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

Christopher Nolan's film version of the epic began with a scene of a wooden horse stuck on the beach. A lone Greek soldier Sinon (Elliot Page) told Trojans that this horse was a gift to the goddess Athena (Zendaya). It was Odysseus who thought up of the idea to penetrate Troy by hiding Greek soldiers inside this giant statue, so he and Meneleus (Jon Bernthal), husband of abducted Helen (Lupita Nyong'o), can lead their attack from within Troy's walls. 

Nolan then proceeded to tell about Odysseus' harrowing sail back to Ithaca by way of flashbacks and stories, in his non-linear style. Whenever they set foot on an island to gather food, they encountered various supernatural beings whose threat they had to escape. These include the one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), the Lastrygorian armored giants, the sorceress Circe (Samantha Morton), the Sirens, the six-headed Scylla, the whirlpool Charybdes, and the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron). 

Nolan showed off a proficiency in staging horror in this one. The cave of Polyphemus was pitch dark, as the giant randomly picked out random guys and chomped them down like pretzels. Similarly horrific was the Circe scene, as a bitter woman who fed ravenous men with her irresistible meat stew that turned them into beasts.  The Underworld scenes were elegant -- realized in brilliant red and black, as darkly radiant as the angry souls in there.

Pacing may be an issue for some impatient viewers in the first two acts. However, that final act was certainly worth the wait.  While the noisy horde of thirsty bachelors abuse the hospitality of their hosts, a hooded old beggar joined them. The tension built up so thickly as the unapologetically oily Antinous shamelessly asserted his lust for power. The much-anticipated, breathtaking climactic confrontation of hero and villain ensued in brutal excitement and chaotic glory. 

As expected of him playing the lead character, Matt Damon gave his all for this physically and emotionally demanding role. Anne Hathaway was a picture of queenly grace and fortitude. Tom Holland had a strong screen presence, but at 30 looked too mature to be a callow 20 year old prince. With that smug look on his oily face as Robert Pattinson was appropriately slimy as Antinous, you'd want to hack his head open with an axe yourself. 

Those actors with smaller roles did not waste their short screen time. John Leguizamo registered dignity as an old loyal servant. Himesh Patel played Odysseus' second-in-command Eurylochus, with whom he constantly clashed. Benny Safdie was King Agamemnon, but most of the time we see only his grand gold-trimmed helmet, not his face. We only notice Logan Marshall-Green in the last act, but his treacherous Melanthio was a most hateful servant. The way Samantha Morton played her Circe, you'd not suspect anything untoward to happen until it is too late. 

As for Nolan's controversial casting, all these pre-screening online critics merely blew them out of proportion. Yes, Lupita Nyong'o played both Helen and Clytemnestra, but her collective screen time was just barely one minute. Trans-man Elliot Page did not play demigod Achilles, but instead he was a foot soldier who bravely faced the Trojans and convinced them to bring the Horse into their city. He had more impact in a later otherworldly scene.

Watching "The Odyssey" brings to mind a previous film also directed and co-written by Nolan -- "Interstellar" (2014). Both stories tackle the challenging trip a father underwent in order to go back to his home and his family after decades of being away. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) went through black holes and the vastness of space as Odysseus went through man-eating monsters and treacherous oceans. The inspiration was clear.

Before the screening, there was a short documentary about how Nolan shot this whole film entirely using an IMAX 70mm film camera. This made us appreciate the strenuous efforts of Nolan and his cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema exerted to deliver the biggest, most immersive images ever, best seen in IMAX theaters, of course. Nolan dedicated this film to the late IMAX quality officer David Keighley. "The Odyssey" was the last film he worked on. 9/10. 

Review of THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD: Ignoble Idol

July 8, 2026

After suffering a crippling injury, an aging Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) was convalescing at the Priory of St. Clement, under the care of  Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). Not proud of his violent past as an outlaw, Robin introduced himself as Randolph. There, Robin befriended a man who was afflicted with leprosy (Murray Bartlet), as well as a young girl named Margaret (Faith Delaney), daughter of Robin's old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgård).

This film was written and directed by Michael Sarnosky, based on a 17th century English ballad known as "Robin Hood's Death," author unknown. This is said to be one of the oldest existing tale about Robin Hood. In the more popular legend adapted for previous films, such as the Disney animated version (1973) or the Kevin Costner version (1991), Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw who "stole from the rich to give to the poor." 

This morose and notorious Robin Hood we see in this film was a total departure from the charismatic and swashbuckling Robin Hood we knew. The Robin and Little John in the first half were unrecognizable. There was no sense of honor or nobility in the way this Robin fought and killed people, without regard for their age nor gender. He was brutality personified when he killed. If your stomach can't handle gore, you will look away.

By the second half, a limping Robin was recovering his health in the peaceful security of Brigid's Priory. At this point, Robin, and the whole film itself, was gradually transitioning from darkness into the light. As Robin learned to connect with other people, the lighting and the music of the film also became brighter and lighter. It was here that we can finally see the face of Hugh Jackman very well as he emerged from the shadows of the first half. 

Many did not like this film because the intense action scenes in the first half were totally abandoned in the contemplative second half. However, this was exactly the reason why I liked the second half more, as the acting of Jackman came to fore interacting with Comer, Delaney, Bartlet and Noah Jupe. Jackman already played a superhero to his death in "Logan" (2017). Here, he played a folk hero to his death, albeit an antihero version of him. 6/10

Netflix: Review of ENOLA HOLMES 3: Mystery and Malice in Malta

July 4, 2026 

Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) had accepted the proposal of Lord Tewkesbury to get married. For sentimental reasons, the Lord's mother (Hattie Morahan) recommended that the wedding ceremony be held in Malta, where she and her husband got married as he was stationed as a military officer there before. Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) was disappointed that his younger sister was sacrificing her identity and freedom like this. However, cold feet, two kidnappings and a fire happened before the wedding could take place.   

This is the third installment of this franchise about Sherlock Holmes' spirited kid sister who shared his acuity in investigating and solving crime mysteries. The screenplay of all three films were written by Jack Thorne, based on "The Enola Holmes Mysteries" series of books by Nancy Springer. The first film was shown in 2020, with the sequel in 2022, both directed by Harry Bradbeer. For this third film, the directing job had been turned over to Philip Barantini, noted for directing the acclaimed series "Adolescence" (2025). 

Millie Bobby Brown is still as spunky in her portrayal of Enola as ever, with her constant breaking of the fourth wall to keep us in the loop about her thought processes and plans. Her chemistry with Louis Partridge as Enola's husband-to-be Lord Tewkesbury was still as delightful and romantic as ever. Helena Bonham-Carter played Enola's explosive mother Eudoria with her signature delightfully quirky acting style. Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes spent this film in a dark mood, and was rather dour and morose for the most part. 

As Sherlock was out of action for most of the film, we get to see more of Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel) as he assists Enola in her investigation, drawing upon his personal experience as an army medic. He also shared his insights as the son of a soldier to advise the young Lord Tewkesbury about his father who was also a soldier. Also back is Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who was already exposed in the second film as Sherlock's nemesis Prof. Moriarty. Here, she plays Adeline Rathe, the mysterious architect of the complex plot. 

This underlying message of this film was very serious, and was delivered in a most pointed manner. The film was essentially a strong condemnation of the British Army's role in the systematic abuse and pillage of the people and riches of various countries around the world that are under the Crown of their royal monarch. The filmmakers did not mince words in addressing unsavory historical issues involving British rule in Malta, Afghanistan and Ashanti (present day Ghana) as they came up in the course of this story.  7/10

Review of MINIONS & MONSTERS: Movie-Making Mayhem

July 4, 2026

Once upon a time, there were several tribes of Minions who roamed the Earth looking for the perfect villain whom they can serve.  However, because of their inherent naughtiness and clumsiness, the Minions would wind up killing the villains they served.  In one such tribe, there was a Minion named James, who was very much inclined to the art of drawing and telling stories. His best friends were the mischievous Henry and the hearing-impaired Ed. 

One day in 1927, the Minions saw a bank robber who was escaping by train and chased him. It turned out that this was a film being shot by a director named Max (Christoff Waltz). The producers, the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges) loved the Minions and made them superstars, until they could not do talkies. It was then that James had the idea of making his own film called "Minions and Monsters," even when only Henry and Ed supported him.

This flashback story of how Minions got into vintage Hollywood silent films was done via bookend sequences of a guide Olivia (Allison Janney) touring her guests around an exhibit called "Magic of Hollywood." While I am not a fan of the Minions, their antics and gibberish language, I appreciated all the call outs to the history of cinema in this one. Cinephiles, especially fans of the classic Hollywood films, will enjoy seeing all these delightful Easter eggs, with Minions somehow integrated into them.  

The direct tributes started in the opening credits, with scenes from "Horse in Motion" (1887) to "A Trip to the Moon" (1902). The man hanging from a clock was from "Safety Last" (1923). Asking Sam the pianist to "play it again" was from "Casablanca" (1942). The "rosebud" scene was from "Citizen Kane" (1941). Charlie Chaplin going through the gears of a machine was from "Modern Times" (1936). The robot Dort (Jesse Eisenberg) was likely a reference to the alien robot Gort in the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951). 

The sorcerer scenes were likely from "Fantasia" (1940). The train scenes may refer to "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) or "The General" (1927). The noir scene likely referred to "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). The shark scene referred to "Jaws" (1974). In Olivia's exhibit, we see more recent films like "E.T." (1982) and "The Matrix" (1999), movie monsters like "The Mummy" (1932) and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1953), and film directors like Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Francis Ford Coppola (in a speaking cameo). 

As for the titular "Monsters," at first there was only one small green spherical creature with the tiny wiggly tentacles above his mouth named Goomi (Trey Parker) whom the Minions conjured out of the spell book. However, he would be joined by his gang of sea monsters Howard (Phil LaMarr) and Phillips (Bobby Moynihan), whose names referred to horror writer H.P. Lovecraft; and their spectacularly destructive orange slimy gelatinous mass with multiple eyes called Irene, that called to mind the classic movie monster "The Blob" (1958). 

I am still not exactly a fan of the Minions and their chaotic brand of foolishness, but I did enjoy this loving tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood as offered by the Minions creator, director and voice Pierre Coffin. 7/10

Review of THE FURIOUS: Trouncing the Traffickers

July 1, 2026

There was a gang of child traffickers responsible for an unexplained series of kidnappings happening in an unspecified city in Southeast Asia. One day, teenage girl Rainy (Yang Enyou), was grabbed by a group of men led by Ho (Brian Le). They stuffed her into a trash bag and hurled her onto the back of a truck. At that moment, her father, a mute Chinese handyman Wang Wei (Xie Miao), saw this happen, and proceeded to chased the truck on foot. 

Journalist Navin (Joe Taslim) was looking for his wife Matia (Jeeja Yanin), a fellow journalist who had disappeared while investigating a child trafficking ring. Pretending to be a potential customer of children, Navin infiltrated the fight club run by a certain Mr. Song (Sahajak Boonthanakit). At the club, Navin met Wang and they initially thought the other was the enemy. Soon, they realized that they were both after the same bad guys and teamed up. 

This action film produced in Hong Kong is an international affair. The director, stuntman and action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, is from Japan. Xie Miao and Yang Enyou are from China. Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian are from Indonesia. Jeeja Yanin and Sahajak Boonthanakit are Thai. Brian Le and Joey Iwanaga are Asian-Americans. While the main language spoken is English, we hear a slew of other Asian languages, even Tagalog from the goons.

From the opening fight scenes featuring Jeeja Yanin, we already expect that the fights are going to be very brutal and ultra-violent. From there, we see various weapons make the like peen-hammers, sledgehammers, hunting knives, arrows, ice picks, pieces of furniture, and even bicycles to cause more intense pain and gory damage. The worst (and most disgusting) injuries for me were actually those caused by human teeth. 

Stories about a father out to rescue his child, or a husband out to rescue his wife, have been frequently told and retold in action films all over the world. Tanigaki and his cinematographer Meteor Cheung deliver violence in ultra doses that can knock us out of breath just watching. The climactic five-way fight scene with Wang, Navin, human tank Ho, suave sadistic Paklung (Iwanaga), and bloodthirsty freak Tak (Yayan) was savage yet spectacular mayhem. 8/10

Netflix: Review of VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE: Crossed Communication

June 28, 2026

Jill (Zoey Deutch) worked in the kitchen of celebrity chef Bastien (Nick Offerman) in his popular bakery Flâner in San Francisco. All she did was slice kumquats as topping of his signature tart, and this frustrated her a lot. Her closest confidante was her younger sister Isabelle "Izzy" (Ciara Bravo), who was still living back in Austin with their parents (Gil Bellows and Tanis Dolman), so they communicated via voicemails. Izzy had been afflicted with cystic fibrosis since childhood, until one day she crashed and passed away.

Wes (Nick Robinson) was a hotshot real estate agent based in Austin. One day, his new work phone began receiving Jill's voicemails to Izzy, which she continued to send to her number. Wes eventually became invested in Jill's stories, including her frustrations with men he dated, like co-worker Arthur (Lukas Gage) and podcaster Tyler (Toby Sandeson). He decided to go to San Francisco to meet Jill in person. They hit it off, but Wes never gathered the guts to confess about his phone getting her voicemails for Izzy, until it was too late. 

This rom-com was written and directed by Leah McKendrick, who also appeared onscreen as Breeda, a good friend of Wes and the bride-to-be of Andy (Harry Shum Jr.). This is only the second feature film that she both wrote and directed. The plot followed the typical rom-com formula, although this time, boy already "knew" the girl long before their supposed "meet-cute" at Tyler's live streaming event. Also formulaic was its conflict of an inadvertent deception that was accidentally revealed before the secret could have been proactively confessed. 

However, this one still worked very well mainly because of Zoey Deutsch, who was very likable and relatable as Jill. Audiences can easily identify with her closeness with her family, as well as the discrimination she endured at work. Her bubbly personality that was very infectious for those around her. She was unfiltered when she gave her opinions and spontaneous when she broke into dance when Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" came on. Her chemistry with Nick Robinson's Wes was effortless from their first scene together. 

What Wes did was really a big red flag. Not only was he listening in to private messages meant for another person, he was also using the information to win the affection of the girl sending the message. Fresh-faced Nick Robinson played Wes with the winsome charm of a young Hugh Grant (as he displayed in that spontaneous tour bus guide gig of his). Because of this, we do feel sorry for him and we hope Jill would find it in her heart to forgive him for what he had failed to do. We wish they can get back together in the end.  Will they? 7/10

Review of FIRST LIGHT: A Nun Navigates the Night

June 27, 2026

Elderly Sister Yolanda (Ruby Ruiz) lived and worked in a 400 year-old convent, the main building of which was already in various states of disrepair. Her Mother Superior Angie (Lui Manansala) had assigned young Sister Arlene (Kare Adea) under her mentorship. As the ministry of her congregation was hospital work, she would make daily rounds on Celia, the comatose mother of rich and influential Mrs. Linda dela Cruz (Maricel Soriano).

One day, a Policeman (Apollo Abraham) requested Sister Yolanda to administer the last rites to a young man Angelo (BJ Forez), who had sustained severe injuries in an accident at a major road construction project in their town. After Angelo's death, his father Cesar (Emmanuel Santos) could not get a straight answer about the circumstances of his son's accident and what had transpired at the hospital, much to Sister Yolanda's chagrin.  

This film is the directorial debut of young Fil-Australian filmmaker James Robinson, who also wrote the screenplay. He had actually already won the award for Best Australian Director when this film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2025. Robinson's prior profession as a photographer was evident in the beautiful camera angles, play of light, shadows, smoke, and blocking of the actors, making each scene look like striking postcards. 

Ms. Ruby Ruiz comes up with yet another restrained yet magnetic performance here as her Sister Yolanda eventually realized how naive she had been after all these years she had spent behind the walls of her convent. Diamond Star Maricel Soriano managed to portray her Ms. Linda with enough compassion so as not to come off as an outright villain, even if she was. Kare Adea imbued her Sister Arlene with youthful idealism that made her question her calling.

Soliman Cruz's Fr. Claridad seemed so kind and fatherly, even if he was being so hypocritical and prejudiced. This was the first time I have seen Emmanuel Santos, but his subdued portrayal of bereaved father Cesar connected very strongly with me. BJ Forez only had one scene as the dying Angelo, but his fear was contagious. National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik had a remarkable cameo as land caretaker Diwa, a friend of Yolanda's late mother.

The dilapidated condition of the old convent would seem to be a metaphor the instability of the Catholic Church presently. As the film suggested (in a not too subtle way), the Church could cave in to external pressures, either financial or political. This insidious corruption was represented by the stinky rot coming from the forest. Robinson's pace can be glacially slow, but his stylish cinematography makes his auspicious debut effort worth a watch. 7/10

Review of POWER BALLAD: Secret of a Successful Song

 June 27, 2026

American singer Rick Power (Paul Rudd) works as the front man of The Bride and Groove, a wedding band based in Dublin, Ireland. He is married to an Irish woman Rachel (Marcella Plunkett) and they have a teenage daughter Aja (Beth Fallon). At one reception, the newly-married couple requested if they could invite a special guest to sing with the band. He turned out to be Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member who wanted to go solo.

After the gig, Rick and Danny spent the rest of the night collaborating on songs they were working on while drunk and stoned. Rick shared a very old song he written but could not finish yet, called "How to Write a Song." Back in Los Angeles, Danny was being pressured by his manager Mac (Jack Reynor) to come up with better songs. Upon recommendation of his girlfriend Marcia (Havana Rose Liu), Danny recorded "How to Write a Song."

We know that Paul Rudd is a good actor and played his part well here, from Rick's resignation to the stagnant fate of his singing and songwriting, to the frustration of being victimized by betrayal, doubt and insensitivity even from people close to him. He even got to show off more facets of his performing talent in this film, as he sang those pop songs and played guitar for real here as the vocalist of his band -- he was actually rocking.

In contrast, Nick Jonas was rather limited in his acting range. He was actually quite good in the first half, especially during that night he spent jamming with Rick. However, in the second half back in L.A., Jonas could not deliver convincingly anymore. It was unfortunate that that critical confrontation scene set in Danny's house was awkwardly executed. While this could be a directing issue, but Jonas also could not keep up with Rudd, acting-wise. 

Like the guests at the weddings the band sung in, I was also enjoying the 80s pop hits Rick sang for them -- from "Celebration" to "Maneater." The main song central to the plot "How to Write a Song" was admittedly catchy, but in a nostalgic, throwback retro type of way. Peter McDonald's stole scenes as RIck's clingy and quirky best friend Sandy. Director John Carney did not milk the final scene with as much emotional impact than it had potential for. 6/10

Review of SUPERGIRL (2026): Clark's Cynical Cousin

June 24, 2026

Kara Zor-el (Milly Alcock) was a Kryptonian like her cousin Kal-el a.k.a. Superman (David Corenswet), so she also had superpowers when she was on Earth under its yellow sun . On her 23rd birthday, she decided to spend it on a planet with a red sun, in order that she can get crazy drunk, with only her naughty white dog Krypto beside her. That night in a bar full of rowdy crowd of drunkards, a young teenage girl boldly appeared at the doorway.  

This girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) had witnessed her whole family perish at the hands of a space criminal named Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), heartless leader of the  Brigands. She swore to avenge their death by seeking out Krem and kill him with a sword that her father Elias Knoll (Ferdinand Kingsley) had forged. That night, she entered that rowdy bar to request for someone to help her do in her quest. Will Kara step up?

We first saw this Milly Alcock version of Supergirl in a post-credits cameo in "Superman" (2025). She was not the typical charming, well-behaved and heroic Supergirl portrayed by Helen Slater in first "Supergirl' film (1984) or by Melissa Benoist in the TV series "Supergirl" (2015 - 2021). Alcock's Supergirl was unkempt and appeared to have had too much to drink, indicating that this Supergirl will be breaking the usual mold of the character. Seeing Alcock play Supergirl this way can be off-putting at first, but she would eventually win us over. 

A flashback tells about how Kara's parents Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and Alura (Emily Beecham) was responsible for a "bottled" fragment of Krypton to survive after the rest of the planet exploded. Kara was conceived later and grew up to be a teenager before she was sent off to join Kal-el on Earth. This was very different (but easier to understand) than the mind-bending Kryptonian time warp paradox in the comics -- how she was supposed to be older than Kal-el on Krypton, but became younger when she arrived later on Earth. 

Because of this, this new Supergirl turned out bitter and rebellious, very opposite in character to her too-good-to-be-true cousin Kal-El. While Kal-el never knew his real parents nor the explosion of Krypton and grew up with loving Earth parents, this Kara actually knew her real parents and experienced being sent away to Earth apparently against her wishes. This contrast of characters between Kal-El and Kara was very much played up here, with comical effect. Kara's first impression of Superman's costume was a memorable line. 

Eve Ridley's Ruthye Marye Knoll was headstrong and stubborn, which puts her in risky situations that went against Kara's plans, complicating her mission. Like Flip in "Slumberland" (2022) and Garrett in "A Minecraft Movie" (2025), Jason Momoa plays another happy-go-lucky character here as notorious mercenary Lobo, which he again portrayed in what seemed to be an exaggerated version his naturally playful character in real life. It was good to see David Corenswet back as ever-supportive Superman, but he did not participate in any fights here. 

Like most dog-lovers in the audience, I certainly wished there was more of Krypto. He provided much emotional moments as he did laughs, so it was too bad that he was out of action for a major part of the story. The musical soundtrack of unexpected pop hits in the most unlikely scenes was quite fun contrast. The best scene was that when club standards "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Cheek to Cheek" were being sung by a female lounge singer on a stage to accompany one of the chaotic bar fights where Kara was taking on everyone else.  

This is a rated PG film, with some parts of which already flirt with an R rating. The fight scense can be quite violent, but there won't be blood and guts frankly spilled on screen here. There was also a side story about the Brigands gathering girls in different planets with the intention of marrying them off to be raped in order to populate their all-male planet -- a truly uncomfortable idea. While the plot was really rather predictable and Schoenhaerts's villain was bland, Alcock's unique spunky take on the title character still kept this afloat. 6/10

Review of HOME ALONG DA RILES, DA REUNION: The Cosmes in Conflict and Conciliation

June 18, 2026

The children of the late Kevin Cosme (Dolphy) still regularly eat together in their old house along the railroad tracks. Kevin's long-time love Azon (Nova Villa), whom the kids called their Tita Nanay, lived nearby. Her adopted daughter Maybe (Maybelyn dela Cruz) is now a barangay official prepping the residents for an impending demolition of their neighborhood.

Eldest son Bill (Smokey Manaloto), an office worker, is still single. Second son is Bob (Gio Alvarez), a motorcycle driver, married to Lorie (Aurora Halili), and living with his rich mother-in-law Bridge (Ces Quesada). The youngest son is Baldo (Vandolph Quizon), married to Jenny (Jenny Quizon) with sons Vito (Vito Quizon) and Baldolito (Ahmad Aboukowick). Adopted son Estong (Boy2 Quizon) was still inseparable from Baldo, partners in a food stall business. 

The only rose in the Cosme brood is Bing (Claudine Barretto), third in line. Now 45 years old, she surprised her brothers when she announced that she was about to get married to a boyfriend whom she had been keeping a secret for 6 years. Hurt, the brothers tried to foil the engagement when the guy, Baby Boy (Pepe Herrera), finally came to meet them. 

The original TV series "Home Along the Riles" ran on ABS-CBN for more than 20 years, from December 1992 to August 2003. While I do have a general idea about the show and its actors, but somehow, I never really got to see a single full episode of it. I also did not watch the two previous feature films about the series, released in 1993 and 1997. Honestly, I was not sure if this reunion movie directed by Boy2 Quizon will have something for me or not. 

From the beginning, we already see the arc of Nova Villa's Azon for the whole film -- missing her one and only love Kevin. She expressed a couple of times that she's just waiting for him to fetch her, even seeing "him" and hearing him sing "Gaano Kita Kamahal." Her comedy moments had to do with waking up from dreaming about Kevin. They gave her a weird episode of getting a massage in a spa, which would later get raided -- not funny.

Claudine Barretto mainly played the straight guy here. It was her sudden surprise announcement of her coming wedding incited the main conflict of the film. While it was clear why she did not want her brothers to know, it was difficult to explain why she did not confide this with her Tita Nanay -- in fact, they did not even try to make a plausible reason. Her one moment of spontaneity came after the priest asked "You may or may not kiss the bride." 

The interaction of Bing's immature brothers among each other and to Baby Boy was in the vein of typical 90s style of naughty comedy. I do not know how these boys used to quarrel on TV, but the climactic violent argument they had seemed very out of character. Those words said, especially those very hurtful insults coming from Bill, came out so randomly from out of the blue, and were not the type that can easily be forgiven as it happened. 

Also returning is Dang Cruz as Azon's inimitable househelp Roxanne, who stole her scenes with her crazy antics. We also see cameos from Kevin's former officemates like Cita Astals (Ma'am Hillary), Joymee Lim (Linggit) and Sherilyn Reyes (Sheryl), as well as unexpected guest appearances like Gardo Versoza, Zanjoe Marudo, Small Laude, the whole Creamline volleyball team, and most surprisingly, Claudine's ex Mark Anthony Fernandez. 

The chaos of the wedding and the demolition all led to one profound moment of sincere family reconciliation in a church. If you are expecting a certain someone to make an appearance from beyond, you'd be right. The production really set aside budget for that one important special effect that should not be carelessly done. Even if you are not familiar with the Cosme family at all, this final heartwarming moment will make you care about them. 6/10 

Review of TOY STORY 5: Trouble with Technology

June 16, 2026

Bonnie (Scarlet Spears) was feeling lonely because she found it difficult to make friends with the kids in her neighborhood. When Jessie (Joan Cusack) went next door to investigate, she discovered that the other kids were all stuck in their own rooms playing video games on a gadget. Jessie was alarmed when Bonnie's parents (Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez) bought Bonnie her own gadget -- a green tablet with a frog design named Lilypad (Greta Lee). 

Sheriff Jessie had designated Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to be her deputy. However, this time, she called Woody (Tom Hanks) to ask for his help how to address the Lily problem. In her efforts to protect Bonnie from bad friends, Jessie and her horse Bullseye got transported back to the house of her old owner Emily. There was a new family there with a girl named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), whom Jessie felt would be a perfect friend for Bonnie. 

The first Toy Story (1995) made history as the first feature-length film to use computer-generated imagery only. It introduced us to Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who were the two favorite toys of Andy. They met Jessie in TS2(1999). As Andy went to college in TS3 (2010), the toys were brought to a daycare, where first they met Bonnie. In TS4 (2019), Bonnie made a toy from a spork she named Forky, while Woody gets reunited with BoPeep (Annie Potts).

After TS3, we all thought that they already had the perfect heartwarming ending. When TS4 came, a lot of us thought that Pixar should not have done this anymore. However, it proved us wrong again by coming with yet another emotional ending. This TS5 again played around with previous themes of old toys being abandoned by their owners as they grew up, but here, it tackled the high incidence of children glued to the screens of gadgets. 

In order to make it possible for Woody, Buzz and Jessie to achieve their elaborate plans, director Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kenna Harris, came up with a random side-story of a platoon of high-tech Buzz Lightyear toys marching to Star Command. Blaze also just so happened to own some old abandoned electronic toys (which just so happened to have working AAA batteries) and shelves of doll horses that she collected. 

Jessie was the main toy character of this story, with her own learning arc, and female-empowerment moments to boot. Multiple units of Buzz opened and closed this one, with a climactic action highlight, plus a romantic subplot. Woody was basically a special guest this time, with the recurring joke about his bald spot as his most memorable gag. The rest of Andy's old toys were still fun to watch in the limited screen time they had. We will all recognize how gadgets like Lilypad dominate our time these days. 

The Pixar artwork, with the vibrant colors and innovative designs, was as topnotch as ever, with a special style to depict the girls' whimsical play fantasies. The screenplay was both nostalgic and funny as we expect from this franchise. The jokes (even Smarty Pants' toilet humor) and the aww moments still connected well with both adults and kids in the audience with us. Stanton was still able to squeeze out an emotional ending this time, we can feel the stretch of the story in this one. But overall, I liked this one better than TS4. 8/10

Review of DISCLOSURE DAY: Extraterrestrial Exposé

June 11, 2026

Cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) is being hunted down by a covert agency called Wardex, led by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Kellner had stolen a set of files which he had to deliver to Hugo (Colman Domingo), and Wardex wants them back. Wardex had technology which allowed Scanlon to locate and talk to people remotely. Scanlon cannot connect with Daniel, so he instead connected with Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson). 

In the meantime, Kansas City TV weather girl Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) was having breakfast when a cardinal flew into their apartment and stared at her for sometime, until it was shooed away by her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell). After this, Margaret suddenly had the ability to speak in different foreign languages and to connect emotionally with people she never met. During her weather report on TV, she began talking in a strange clicking sound. 

In his 50 years of making movies, Steven Spielberg has films about his fascination with alien lifeforms, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Spielberg returns to this genre after 20 years, coming up with the story that David Koepp crafted into a screenplay and directing it with his signature engaging storytelling style and cinematic flair, though this one had no children and less heartwarming drama.

The main cast was A-list, among the busiest actors these days. Blunt's Margaret was initially light and comic, but she eventually became the heart of the story. O'Connor was relatively lower key but convincingly committed to his cause. Think what you may of Hugo's intentions, but Domingo played him like a saint. Firth gave Oscar-grade gravitas to the antagonist role. We needed more background on Hugo and Noah to understand their motives more. 

This film was about people who believed that everyone in the world should know that extraterrestrials exist going up against people who wanted to hide the existence of extraterrestrial life on Earth. As Jane used to be a nun, a Catholic perspective was added into the mix, including a verse from Genesis that I had not heard quoted that way before. It presents a thought-provoking dilemma to us in terms of morality and ethics. 

The first two hours had Daniel and Margaret running around Midwest states avoiding Wardex, with car chases and train crashes along the way. All this action built up momentum for a riveting climactic 30 minutes, capped by a wheelchair scene that can polarize the audience if Spielberg was being profound, or melodramatic. However after all that, Spielberg still forgot to tell us where the cardinal came from, its source of power and its selection criteria. 8/10 

Mini-Reviews of OBSESSION and BACKROOMS: Yield to Young YouTubers!

June 9, 2026

In the last two weeks, there had been a couple of horror movies that are making a lot of news. Both of them have been directed by young directors who had their start releasing their original content on YouTube. The first one was written and directed by Curry Barker, 26 years old. The second one was directed by Kane Parsons, 20 years old. What is more remarkable now is that their two low-budget films have now grossed more than $200M worldwide at the box office. 

1. OBSESSSION

Director: Curry Barker

Writer: Curry Barker

Bear (Michael Johnston) worked with his friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Sarah (Megan Lawless) and Nikki (Inde Navarrette) at a music store. He had a big crush on Nikki but was very shy to tell her. Bear saw an item in a crystal shop called "One Wish Willow," a stick that claimed it can fulfill one wish of the person who broke it into two. When he dropped Nikki at her home one night, Bear broke the stick and wished for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. Right after, Nikki invited him into her house, then into bed with her. 

Curry Barker only spent $750,000 budget for this film so its multi-million fortunes now is most impressive. Michael Johnston may be too awkward (on purpose?) as Bear, but Inde Navarrette impressed as her poor unhinged Nikki broke us emotionally. Curry's concept of the "One Wish Willow" carried the film through, showing the horrible consequences of causing love to happen by unnatural means. There are scenes of violence here that startle and shock, so fasten your seatbelts as this horror-romcom does not hold back. 8/10

2. BACKROOMS

Director: Kane Parsons

Writer: Will Soodik 

Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) owned a furniture store called  Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire, which was not doing very well. Aside from this, he was also having issues with alcoholism and his divorce for which he was seeing a therapist Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve). One day while investigating electrical disturbances in his store, he saw a glowing slit in one of the walls of the basement. He fell right through that wall and wound up in a whole new wide space of maze-like corridors, lit up by bright overhead fluorescent lights with odd stuff scattered around.  

It started with a  dizzying 1990 video of a man that was stumbling around a strange maze of brightly-lit corridors which reminded me of the "Blair Witch Project," which really gave me a bad case of vertigo. Fortunately, "Backrooms" was not like this all the way through. To the end, it never really explained what was really going on, but it did try to connect the labyrinthine passageways to human psychology as we forge our way through the unknowns of our lives. Oscar-caliber Ejiofor and Reinsve and the unnerving production design elevated it.  7/10

Review of COLONY: Melding Minds into Monsters

June 2, 2026

One morning at the Doongwoori Building in Seoul, Chains Bio CEO Dr. Kang Woo-cheol (Kim Jeong-tae) gave an exciting presentation about his company's latest work about collective intelligence. After his talk, Kang was confronted by a disgruntled former employee Dr. Suh Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan). During their heated argument, Suh unexpectedly stuck a syringe into Kang's neck and injected a substance which quickly turned Kang into a zombie. 

From there, a zombie epidemic quickly broke out inside the Doongwoori Building which housed a very busy shopping mall. Among those caught in a store were scientists Prof. Kwon Se-Jeong (Gianna Jun) and her ex-husband Prof. Han Kyu-seong (Ko Soo), security guard Choi Hyun-Seok (Ji Chang-wook) and his wheelchair-bound sister Hyun-hee (Kim Shin-rok), and Officer Lee (Lee Joong-ok), a policeman who responded to Suh's bioterrorism threat.  

The best-regarded South Korean zombie movie is "Train to Busan" (2016). Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, and written by Park Joo-suk, this had a touching father-daughter story in the heart of the zombie chaos on a train. Four years later, Yeon wrote and directed "Peninsula" (2020), billed as the sequel to "Train to Busan," this time about a soldier tasked to retrieve a truck of money in zombie-infested South Korea. This was a disappointing follow-up for sure.

This year, Yeon is back again, writing and directing yet another zombie film. This new movie features a new type of "tech-based" zombies. These zombies were described in jargon to be exchanging information by way of organic semi-conductors in slime. The way the zombies were acting in synchrony as if being conducted remotely was an interesting concept, and their eerie choreography was well-executed, especially that mesmerizing "ant mill" scene.

It was great to see Gianna Jin, iconic star of "My Sassy Girl" (2001), back on the big screen again after a 10-year hiatus. Koo Kyo-hwan, star of box-office romance hit "Once We Were Us" (2025), made for an intimidating antagonist. Ji Chang-wook showed off both fighting skills as he plowed through the zombie horde with a kitchen knife, as well as his dramatic chops in his scenes with Kim Shin-rok playing his disabled I.T. sister. 

There were thought-provoking dilemmas presented to create more conflict -- are the zombies patients or as monsters? is the immune perpetrator the villain or the vaccine? That "imperfect communication is the main source of tragedy" makes for a profound basis for drama. While uniting all the minds in the world sounds like an altruistic goal, putting them under the vision and control of one deranged person is obviously not a good idea. 7/10

Review of TAYO SA WAKAS: Darker Depths for DonBelle

 May 25, 2026

Francisco "Cisco" Serrano (Donny Pangilinan) was the eldest but illegitimate son of his rich father Francisco "Kiko" Jacinto (Matthew Mendoza). He worked for the Guinto group of companies, and  was responsible for developing the production house arm dubbed as "G-Spot" for its CEO Mr. G (Epy Quizon). He was involved in creating concepts for their advertising clients, pitching the ad proposal to them, and directing their video shoots. 

Francisca "Cheska" Alegre (Belle Mariano) with her parents (Yayo Aguila and Alan Paule) in a low-income community, where their neighbors could hear their frequent marital quarrels. She was just the newest recruit in G-Spot, under the mentorship of Cisco. The two called each other "Tuks," short for "tukayo," a term used to indicate the similarity of their names. Soon, their close professional relationship soon blossomed into romance. 

"Tayo sa Wakas" is the third feature film of the Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano (or "DonBelle") love team after "Love is Color Blind" (John Leo Garcia, 2021) and "An Inconvenient Love" (Petersen Vargas, 2022), both big commercial hits. Like the second film, this new film was once again used the rich boy-poor girl romance-comedy trope, so the formula felt familiar right from the awkward meet-cute at the office pantry. 

The screenplay by Vanessa R. Valdez tackled darker themes than expected here about professional jealousy and toxicity. It was clear from the get-go that their sailing was not going to be smooth, so there was no real suspense in the flashbacks. Aside from DonBelle, the supporting actors were mainly stock BFF tropes. Epy Quizon does well as the compassionate boss. Jaime Fabregas had a strong impact as Don Frank, Cisco's imperious grandfather.   

The chemistry between Pangilinan and Mariano is very strong, which is why we felt bad as Cisco and Cheska drifted apart. Things were going so badly between them, we wanted to see a brave, realistic resolution of their problem. Unfortunately for us, Valdez and director Cathy Garcia-Sampana opted for an annoying cop-out of a climax -- a sudden 11th hour twist that rendered everything after it unnecessarily melodramatic and ultimately unsatisfying. 5/10 

Netflix: Review of REMARKABLY BRILLIANT CREATURES: Omniscient Octopus

May 25, 202

Tova (Sally Field) was an elderly woman who lived in Sowell Bay in Washington state. Ever since her son Erik and her husband passed away, she preferred to live and work alone. She worked as a night-shift janitor at the town aquarium. While working, she shared her thoughts to Marcellus (voice by Alfred Molina), an old octopus who kept trying to escape his tank and go back to the sea. One day, Tova had a fall and sprained her ankle. 

Cameron (Lewis Pullman) was a young man whose mother just passed away. Using the old van she bequeathed to him, Cameron drove to Sowell Bay to look for the unknown father he never met. Because he needed cash, he was recommended to take over Tova's work while she recovered from her injury. Tova noted that Cameron was not conscientious about his work, so she took it upon herself to teach him the right way to do things.

Ever since I have seen Sally Field play mothers in films like "Steel Magnolias" (1989) and "Forrest Gump" (1994), I have admired the sincerity she projected in her portrayal of her roles, and the effortlessness by which she was able to make us shed tears. As she portrayed another mother in this one, she again delivered her lines in that unique voice and speaking style of hers that inspires trust, connects emotionally and elevates the whole film. 

Lewis Pullman is the son of veteran actor Bill Pullman, so he has to work harder to prove that he was not a mere nepo baby. While the resemblance is there, Lewis has a grittier, sterner countenance than the clean-cut all-American look his father built his career on. As Cameron had been an abandoned child and no clear direction in life, Pullman imbued him with plenty of internal angst that translated to rough language and careless actions. 

Director Olivia Newman co-wrote this screenplay with John Whittington, adapting the 2022 novel by Shelby Van Pelt. Having a wise octopus as narrator called to mind the 2020 Oscar-winning Netflix documentary "My Octopus Teacher," as Marcellus helped resolve a mystery that repaired the two damaged lead characters. The twist may feel a bit contrived, but Newman's homey direction and Field's moving portrayal overcame all that. 7/10

Review of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU: Bringing Bounty and Baby

May 19, 2026

"The Mandalorian" was the first live-action television series of the Star Wars franchise streamed on Disney+, with Jon Favreau as showrunner. it has run from 2019 to 2023, for three seasons so far. What was supposed to have been the fourth season of the series was instead turned by Lucasfilm into this film, under Favreau's direction. This is the first Star Wars franchise film in seven years after "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" (2019). 

Set five years after the rebels defeated the Galactic Empire in "The Return of the Jedi," the series followed the adventures of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pablo Pascal), a.k.a. Mando. In one of his missions, he was supposed to turn over a Child of a mysterious species with an innate connection to the Force. Out of compassion, Mando decided to rescue him instead, and treated him as his son. His real name Grogu was revealed in S2E5.

For this film, Mando and Grogu was sent on missions to capture the remaining Imperial Remnants by the Adelphi Rangers of the New Republic led by Col. Ward (Sigourney Weaver). To locate the target, Mondo needed the help of notorious crime lords, the Hutt twins. In exchange for their intel, they wanted Mando to first retrieve their nephew Rotta, son of their late cousin Jabba the Hutt, who had been kidnapped. 

As it had been on the TV series, Mando was always seen wearing his helmet in accordance to the way of the Mand'alor which did not allow him to show his face to others. The only time we saw Pedro Pascal's face was when Mando was shamed by bounty hunter Embo (Dave Filoni) by unmasking him. So, we are not really sure who we are seeing in those intense action and fight scenes, Pascal or his stunt doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder.  

Grogu was a delightful creation of animatronics, puppetry and visual effects. Still considered a child at 50 years old, Grogu was of the same species as jedi master Yoda, who died at the ripe old age of 900 in "Return of the Jedi." Grogu's very cute "baby Yoda" look made him the "E.T." for this generation.  Grogu would have the screen on his own when Mando was out of commission for a while, and he was truly adorable, especially that meditating scene. 

First seen as a baby in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008), Rotta the Hutt was warm and sympathetic, as voiced by Jeremy Allen White, unlike his slimy elders. Fans cheered when Lasat rebel soldier Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) came out to pilot Mando's new Razor Crest craft. Martin Scorsese voiced an Ardennian sandwich storekeeper whom Mando bribed for info. Sigourney Weaver graced yet another sci-fi franchise, after "Alien" and "Avatar."

As a film, this one can stand on its own, even for those who have not seen the series. The story was not that hard to follow, with relentless action and plenty of alien creatures -- the fun (Minions-like Anzellan droidsmiths), the scary (giant albino Dragonsnake) and the thrilling (the Mantellian savrip and other gladiator arena warriors).  However, serious Star Wars fanboys who can spot obscure deep-cuts and callbacks will likely enjoy it a lot more. 8/10

Review of MIDNIGHT GIRLS: Empathy with Entertainers

May 14, 2026

When 20 year-old Wanna (Loisa Andalio) arrived in Nagoya, Japan, she was welcomed by her mother's friend Vicky (Jodi Sta. Maria) who had already been working there for several years. Vicky brought Wanna to a nightclub run by fellow Filipina Mama Charry (Carmi Martin), where she worked as one of the girls who entertained male customers while they drink after work. Vicky introduced the newcomer to her two other friends Paris (Sanya Lopez) and Saki (Jane Oineza), who also advised Wanna about the new job she was about to embark on.

Despite their frequent Facetimes, Vicky had problems with her son Patrick (Zaijian Jaranilla), who was only three when he was left to the care of his grandmother (Shamaine Buencamino). Paris was rekindling her romance with her former boyfriend Genji (Genki Ito) who made a surprise return. Saki was facing issues about her own self-identity, even if she looked cool and confident on the outside. Wanna was adjusting very well to her very new world, until she gets an unexpected visit from her boyfriend back home Danny (Miggy Jimenez).

There is no argument that Jody Sta. Maria is an excellent actress, and she extends her streak of award-worthy portrayals here. Being the eldest sister of their group, Sta. Maria's Vicky projects maturity and responsibility. Her scenes with her regular customers Akio (Kouji Sueyoshi) and Hideo (Masakatsu Sumioku) revealed her caring nature which made them feel prioritized. Her best scenes were those with Zaijian Jaranilla giving an exceptionally moving performance even if he was only seen on the screen of a mobile phone.

Sanya Lopez was effortlessly beautiful with her winning smile and personality. Her best scene was that one when Paris finally realized where her affair with Genji was going. As the turmoil of Saki's conflict is internal, Jane Oineza gave a very nuanced and restrained portrayal. Her best scene was actually that transformative reveal at the park picnic towards the end. Loisa Andalio was good as Wanna, but her coming of age as a GRO was not given enough focus. Also, her tendency to deliver her lines too loud could have been reined in. 

"Midnight Girls" is further proof of Irene Emma Villamor's talent as a storyteller, a reputation which she had steadily built with film she both wrote and directed. Despite the fact that there had been plenty of films about Filipinos working abroad, Villamor was able to tell these intertwined stories of four female GROs working in Nagoya in a manner that still felt fresh, vibrant and engaging. Villamor's decision to include interviews of real women who did the same work in Japan made us realize the authenticity of the stories we had witnessed. 8/10

Review of THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL: Virulent Violence

May 13, 2026

The Punisher was a character who first appeared in a Marvel comic book in 1974, in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #129. Frank Castle was an ex-Marine who became a vigilante after his wife and two children were killed by Mafia gangsters. Using his skills in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship, Castle went on to fight against the bad guys. However, unlike the typical superhero, the Punisher was merciless, and did not hesitate to kill. 

Since then, this anti-hero character, along with that distinctive skull design that he wore, had already made his transition to films. Dolph Lundgren first played Castle in "The Punisher" (Mark Goldblatt, 1989). Thomas Jane had another go at the character in another film entitled "The Punisher" (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004).  Ray Stevenson played him in a reboot film, "Punisher: War Zone" (Lexi Alexander, 2008). Critics panned all three of these films.

After this, The Punisher franchise was rebooted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Bernthal introduced the character in the second season of Netflix series "Daredevil" (2016), as the ideological counterpoint to title character who was also a vigilante but did not kill his targets. "Punisher" had a spin-off series of his own also on Netflix from 2017–2019. He was brought back in the first season of "Daredevil: Born Again" (2025), streaming on Disney+. 

This year, "The Punisher" is back as the featured character in the third Marvel's Special Presentation, after "Werewolf by Night" (2022) and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday. Special" (2022). Jon Bernthal co-wrote and starred in this 45-minute film about the continuing internal torture Frank Castle had been experiencing since his family was killed by the gangsters of the Gnucci family, even after he had already exacted his revenge.

The grieving matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light in an unexpected role) wanted to exact her own revenge for the death of her husband and sons at Castle's hands. On the anniversary of the death of her beloved youngest son, she sent out a city-wide contract for the death of Castle, which sent criminals of all kinds rushing over to Castle's apartment building to try to kill him. The ensuing mayhem was relentless and soon spilled out into the streets outside.

Even if you did not know anything about "The Punisher" as a character, you can still appreciate this film. There would be haunting flashbacks to encapsulize the past trauma in Frank's life that drove him to do what he does. The main highlight was certainly the seamlessly-edited series of brutally violent action sequences as Frank fought his way out of the endless horde after him, killing of all of them in the process -- not for the faint of heart!

One main aim for this special presentation was to reintroduce Frank Castle, his Punisher persona and his current psychological state to a wider audience. This is in time for his coming appearance on the big screen in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" this July. How meaningful that The Punisher made his character debut in a Spider-Man comic book in 1974, and now, 52 years later, he is making his MCU feature film debut in a Spider-Man film. 8/10

Review of THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Offbeat Ovine Observers

May 10, 2026

Shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) owned a meadow outside the town of Denbrook, on which his flock of sheep were put out to pasture. Beyond feeding them, George also spent time reading detective crime mystery novels to his sheep. Among his favorites among his flock were the aloof loner Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), wise Merino sheep Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), the stately Sir Richfield (Patrick Stewart) and the smartest one of the group, Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The sheep would then discuss these cases when George went to bed. 

One night, a murder disturbed the peace in Hardy's farm, the first such case that the town's only policeman Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) had ever handled. A visiting journalist Ellliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) volunteered to help him. When Atty. Harbottle (Emma Thompson) arrived, the suspects were revealed -- the neighbor Caleb (Tosin Cole), the butcher Ham (Conleth Hill), the innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau), the priest Rev. Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), and George's estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon). 

The screenplay of "The Sheep Detectives" was written by Craig Mazin, creator of HBO series "Chernobyl" (2019) and "The Last of Us" (2023), adapted from the 2005 German novel "Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann. The film is the first live-action film (mixed with digital animation) directed by Kyle Balda, who is best known for animated films like "The Lorax" (2012) and "Minions" (2015), all for Illumination Studios. The big name actors (Jackman, Thompson) and voices (Louis-Dreyfus, Cranston) add prestige to this project.  

Watching the titular sheep detectives in action immediately called to mind the delightful 1995 movie "Babe," about a pig who wanted to be a sheepdog. That film was a commercial and critical success, even earning itself seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director for Chris Noonan. Its Oscar-winning visual effects team employed a mix of live animals (48 piglets had to be used to keep the size of Babe uniform), animatronics, and digital mouth manipulation to create the illusion of talking animals. 

The sophisticated visual effects we see in "The Sheep Detectives" shows the progress in this field for the past 30 years, as now all the animals are 100% photo-realistic computer-generated imagery. The photorealistic animals in "The Sheep Detectives" are more fully-realized, capable of expressively conveying human-like emotions. This is a positive progression from the grim, expressionless hyper-realistic CGI animals in "The Lion King" (2019) that garnered that older film a lot of negative criticism. 

Meanwhile, the film's detective story called to mind the Agatha Christie murder mysteries and the "Knives Out" films with the multiple suspects and wry humor. However, the big charming difference is that the human detective Tim Derry was so absurdly clueless, so the sheep needed to actively intervene in the investigation in the cutest, yet ingenious ways. Certain sheep beliefs, like ostracizing winter lambs, forgetting about bad things, and turning into clouds instead of dying, provided room for rich emotional tear-jerking moments. 9/10

Review of ALMOST US: Hoping Hurts

May 9, 2026

Janine (Fyang Smith) and RR (JM Ibarra) have been best friends since their childhood. They had special nicknames for each other -- Janine called RR "Pip," while RR called Janine "Bulots." Janine followed her mother's footsteps to take up Law. Atty. Melissa Mesina (Che Ramos) entrusted her to the care of RR, who was free to spend nights in her condo.  Meanwhile, RR applied to do volunteer work via an NGO called Guardians of Humanity.

RR had long been in love with Janine. However, she was head-over-heels obsessed about her music idol Kenzo (Dustin Yu), whom she even made into a superhero in her online fanfic entitled "My Undercover Love." Unknown to her, RR even helped to make her fanfic viral so that it would get Kenzo's attention, which it did. Janine was thrilled no end when Kenzo asked to treat her out to dinner, but RR tagged along as her unwilling chaperone. 

I have already seen JM Ibarra act before, in his official big screen debuting in the lead role of Cinemalaya film "Child No. 82 (Anak ni Boy Kana)."  Again, he proves his charisma and charm with the ladies, as well as his dramatic chops here, as he did before. As RR, Ibarra plays the more sympathetic character, the one more people can identify with. RR is the partner who had loved more than he was loved back, but who later learns to speak up for himself.

Fyang Smith was the grand winner of PBB Gen 11 in 2024. For her film debut as a lead, it was very brave for her to accept this role of Janine, a flawed character whose selfishness caused her to chase fantasies instead of seeing the love right beside her. She was given a number of awkward actions or corny lines, particularly those directed to Sue (Yuki Takahashi), whom she saw as a threat to her happiness, but Smith's winsome delivery saves the day. 

Dustin Yu makes a very good impression as an action star Kenzo in his fight scenes in the opening sequence, but unfortunately his fantasy character did not go much further afterwards.  Former indie child actor JM Salvado played RR's loud English-challenged friend Otep. Sam Samarita played Janine's pretentious Taglish-challenged pre-law classmate. Veteran indie actress Che Ramos made the most of Atty. Mesina's single scene together with Janine.

There was nothing really new about the plot, save for its zany Gen Z features, clearly not for my generation. Whether you find her cute or annoying, Fyang Smith's Janine provided that extra unique memorable quality to this very familiar story. This character's polarizing over-the-top personality, on top of the much-hyped anticipation for this Gen Z love-team's first film together,  distinguishes "Almost Us" from more generic rom-coms of its kind. 5/10

Review of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2: Advanced Adaptation

 April 29, 2026

High-profile editor-in-chief of Runway fashion magazine Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) had been involved in a heated controversy. In an effort to stem the negative online reactions and beef up credibility, Runway chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) called up Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a multi-awarded journalist who used to be Miranda's former second assistant 20 years ago, and hired her as Runway's new Features Editor. 

Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) was still working in Runway as Miranda's trusted right hand man, and still very helpful to Andy with regards to her fashion choices, as he did before. Miranda's former first assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) was now out of Runway, working in Dior in a high executive capacity. Photographer Lily (Tracie Thoms), who was still Andy's supportive (and designer bag-loving) BFF whom she can turn to for advice.

Miranda already has a new husband, musician Stuart (Kenneth Branagh). Emily's new boyfriend is tech tycoon Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux), ex-husband of philanthropist Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu).  Andy now has a resourceful, but dowdy assistant of her own, Jin Chao (Helen J. Shen) -- like how Andy was before, but Asian. Andy meets an architect of a luxury apartment named Peter (Peter Brammall), with whom she develops a romance.

Miranda here was still as arch and imperious as ever, and Meryl Streep played her with utmost glee. However, unlike the first film where Miranda was Runway's only big boss, there was now a company chairman Irv and his son Jay (BJ Novak) who were making decisions above Miranda.  Now only available in digital format, Runway was also not the mighty fashion bible it was before. There were now more scenes of her being more vulnerable this time around. 

As seen in the awards ceremony at the start of this sequel, Anne Hathaway's Andy was very confident and self-assured when she during her work as a serious journalist at her old paper, the Vanguard. However, once she was back in the service of Miranda, she seemed to have just reverted to her former self --  insecure, approval-seeking, still with that the same eagerness to please despite how impossible Miranda's order was. 

Stanley Tucci reminds us why his character Nigel remains to be the fan favorite in this sequel, as much as he was in the first film. His final revelation to Andy made Nigel positively more beloved than ever. Similarly, Emily Blunt's portrayal of Emily still carried with it some subtle bitchiness about her like it did in the first film. As this new Emily had more power and position, and Blunt pulled that precarious balance of being Andy's frenemy very well. 

While it was great to see the original cast ("the core four") together again, this sequel was more about journalism and fashion adapting to technology in the present time, tackling intricate business maneuverings, from mergers to takeovers in both these industries. While the first film brought us into Fashion Week in Paris, this sequel brings us to Milan to pay tribute to Italian haute couture.

Overall, director David Frankel's first movie was more entertaining, with light comedy and romance, 8/10. But as the characters have matured two decades, his sequel, while still fun (with a lot more cameos from fashion personalities plus Lady Gaga), had a more serious tone and thoughtful mood, 7/10.